JAKARTA – The plantation directorate general of the agriculture ministry has stated that 415 palm oil companies have conducted a self-reporting of their plantation data under the program of plantation license information system (Siperibun), which is part of the Indonesian government’s steps to improve the governance of palm oil industry in the country.
“We expect that a total of 2,466 palm oil companies will do the self-reporting under the Siperibun program. As of June 2023, there have been 415 companies that have already complied with the self-reporting requirement,” Heru Tri Widarto, Secretary of the plantation directorate general said recently in Jakarta.
Heru said that the ‘Siperibun’ is an information system based on the national application, which is also used by the Satgas Sawit, a palm oil task force recently set up by the government. The program is aimed to improve the governance, especially its transparency, of Indonesia’s palm oil industry.
Heru said that most of the 415 companies that had already conducted the Siperibun self-reporting are members of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI). “Previously, we’ve conducted a socialization of the Siperibun with GAPKI,” said Heru.
He said that the government has urged all palm oil business players to implement the self-reporting of the condition of their plantation areas which are proven with their business licenses.
Andi Nur Alam Syah, Director General of Plantations at the agriculture ministry, said on Tuesday, 06 July 2023, that the government requires palm oil companies to file their reports through the website Siperibun during the period of 03 July until 03 August 2023. After that, cooperatives and farmers will be required to do the same report, but the government will inform it later.
Maritime and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said recently that the government will take firm action against business players who ignore all efforts being pursued to improve the palm oil governance in Indonesia.
“We’ll summon those we consider filing incorrect or suspicious data. That way we can have complete data and all of the business players will pay their taxes properly,” said Menko Luhut.
Luhut pointed out that based on satellite images in 2021, Indonesia’s total acreage of oil palm plantations reaches 16.8 million hectares, of which 3.3 million hectares are located in forest areas.
“We hope it can be resolved through the mechanism of article 110A and 110B of UUCK (omnibus law on job creation). Based on audit results, many companies were found not yet having various licenses, such as licenses of location, plantation business, and land use rights. Looking forward, Satgas will oblige all growers to have all of the necessary licenses,” he said.
According to him, Satgas will speed up its efforts of solving the legal problems of oil palm plantations located in forest areas, so that all of the problems can be resolved before 02 November 2023.
Andi Nur hopes that the application of the Siperibun-based Self-Reporting will further strengthen and optimize the development of Indonesia’s palm oil industries. “We hope that all stakeholders are committed to strengthening collaborations in improving the governance of our palm oil industries. We need to maintain our achievement as the world’s largest producer of palm oil. We all know the very important role of our palm oil industries in our national economy. This Siperibun program will further help us in increasing productivity, added value and our competitiveness at the global market,” said Andi Nur. (Benget Besalicto ST)
